Canadian brothers decided to demonstrate the weight of mental illness by climbing a section of Mount Everest with canoes on their backs. They carried 80 pounds each during their 18-day trek to Everest’s Base Camp. The trek was chronicled on social media, with loved ones and supporters following the journey from home. The purpose of the challenge was to raise money for a women’s mental health centre in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Author A.A. Milne didn’t just dream up the Hundred Acre Wood when he was writing the beloved children’s classic, Winnie the Pooh, he took inspiration from Ashdown Forest near his home in East Sussex. Watching his son, Christopher Robin play with his toys in these woods inspired him to write these stories. Christopher Robin himself later said in his own biography that Ashdown Forest was identical to the one from the stories.

If you’re not interested in crowds or have been to all the major tourist centres in Italy and are looking for something more, here are some places that aren’t Rome, Venice or Florence. Give these hidden gems a chance for an authentic Italian experience. One place to check out is Matera – which was named one of 2019’s European Capitals of Culture. It’s also landed on a lot of travel experts’ lists of to-see places for this year. If you’re looking for an island escape, check out Ischia – a volcanic island within the Gulf of Naples.

When one thinks of happiness, ice swimming doesn’t often come to mind – but for Finnish people, it does. One author believes that the ritual of jumping into a hole cut into icy water is one reason for Finland’s high ranking on the world happiness scale. So, what are North Americans missing about this? The belief is that jumping into the water has health benefits. The swim doesn’t last more than a minute but can cause lasting euphoric effects after the fact.

Due to a passenger with a medical emergency, a flight from Newark, New Jersey, heading to Hong Kong, China, had to be diverted to Goose Bay Airport in Labrador. Since there were no border agents working overnight at this small airport, passengers were unable to exit the aircraft. To add insult to injury, after the unwell passenger was taken to hospital, a mechanical issue with the plane’s door prevented it from taking off again. It’s possible the door froze due to the conditions. The 250 passengers onboard had to stay put as temperatures plunged, making the cabin very uncomfortable.

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